Hermilo Tovar
04/23/07 06:15 AM Filed in: Mexico
On the west side of the Ancha de San Antonio you'll find the taller (workshop) of Hermilo Tovar. It's not uncommon to see automotive repair businesses decorated with artworks made from old car parts, and this one is a beaut.
The image above is a rare one. Usually several cars in various stages of disassembly are parked in front, blocking the view. To the left of the gate stands a brick-red engine hoist, so you know this guy does more than tune engines. Hanging on the wall behind and to the right of the engine hoist is a white robot made of, among other things, a crankshaft and a couple of shock absorbers. A gray robot with yellow shock absorber legs stands in front of the white one.
A close look at the gate shows that much of the decoration consists of spark plugs welded together and painted white. Hermilo has spelled out his name using them, and in the image above, the arched sign over the gate spelling mecanico is also made of spark plugs.
How many other auto parts are identifiable? I see valves, connecting rods, timing chains, valve springs, universal joint crosses, assorted gears, bearings, bushings and clutch plates. Perhaps you can identify others.
This guy rebuilds engines and transmissions—serious mechanical work. Many mechanics up north never see some of these parts in day-to-day work. They buy engines and transmissions that have been rebuilt in specialized factories and simply swap out the entire unit. Not so at Taller Tovar. Got a rod knock? Hermilo will get right down into the guts of your engine and replace the rod bearing, and the connecting rod and crankshaft if need be. And while he's at it, he'll swap out your rings and ream your ridges. Makes you feel kind of good, doesn't it? Almost no U. S. mechanic will do that today, although many of us did when we were teenagers, mostly for the fun of it.
He's an artist, too. He creates a garden wall using old car junk.
To the right of the gate, the word mecanico is again spelled out, this time with shock absorbers. The numerals of his address (19a) are formed of spark plugs, below which hangs another white robot.
Auto shops usually look hard, greasy and... well... mechanical. Hermilo softens his place up with some plants. A cactus grows out of a terra-cotta pot, another out of a planter made from a couple of old tires. A group of leafy plans grows in those universal Mexican containers—cut-off plastic soft drink bottles.
Looks like sometimes, business is a little slow at Hermilo Tovar's place. He found a lot of free time to spruce his taller up. What he achieved is a darn sight more interesting than some Shell station ¿No?
The image above is a rare one. Usually several cars in various stages of disassembly are parked in front, blocking the view. To the left of the gate stands a brick-red engine hoist, so you know this guy does more than tune engines. Hanging on the wall behind and to the right of the engine hoist is a white robot made of, among other things, a crankshaft and a couple of shock absorbers. A gray robot with yellow shock absorber legs stands in front of the white one.
A close look at the gate shows that much of the decoration consists of spark plugs welded together and painted white. Hermilo has spelled out his name using them, and in the image above, the arched sign over the gate spelling mecanico is also made of spark plugs.
How many other auto parts are identifiable? I see valves, connecting rods, timing chains, valve springs, universal joint crosses, assorted gears, bearings, bushings and clutch plates. Perhaps you can identify others.
This guy rebuilds engines and transmissions—serious mechanical work. Many mechanics up north never see some of these parts in day-to-day work. They buy engines and transmissions that have been rebuilt in specialized factories and simply swap out the entire unit. Not so at Taller Tovar. Got a rod knock? Hermilo will get right down into the guts of your engine and replace the rod bearing, and the connecting rod and crankshaft if need be. And while he's at it, he'll swap out your rings and ream your ridges. Makes you feel kind of good, doesn't it? Almost no U. S. mechanic will do that today, although many of us did when we were teenagers, mostly for the fun of it.
He's an artist, too. He creates a garden wall using old car junk.
To the right of the gate, the word mecanico is again spelled out, this time with shock absorbers. The numerals of his address (19a) are formed of spark plugs, below which hangs another white robot.
Auto shops usually look hard, greasy and... well... mechanical. Hermilo softens his place up with some plants. A cactus grows out of a terra-cotta pot, another out of a planter made from a couple of old tires. A group of leafy plans grows in those universal Mexican containers—cut-off plastic soft drink bottles.
Looks like sometimes, business is a little slow at Hermilo Tovar's place. He found a lot of free time to spruce his taller up. What he achieved is a darn sight more interesting than some Shell station ¿No?
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